REVIEW: McDonald’s Steakhouse Sirloin Third Pound Burger

I distinctly remember the day McDonald’s Angus burgers were rolled out.

Actually, I don’t, but I vaguely recall the hoopla surrounding them. This was 2009, mind you, when doing something as simple as giving a cow a Scottish name was considered particularly epicurean in food culture. It was also a day and age when a good many people actually went to McDonald’s for hamburgers, which, in case you haven’t heard, is totally not cool anymore.

I had a few Angus burgers in my day and they were decent, but they never seemed to live up to the hype. So when the Angus burgers went out with a whimper and not a defiant mooooooo in 2013, I didn’t see reason to mourn.

Still, something has been missing. You can talk my ear off all you’d like about streamlined menus and classic sandwiches, but have you eaten a Big Mac lately? If I wanted to ingest three hamburger buns and a bunch of lettuce, I would have gone to a vegan cookout. No, every once and a while—ok, every day—a guy like me just wants to eat an oversized and juicy patty of dead and delicious cow. Something like the the new Steakhouse Sirloin Third Pound Burger.

There’s no use beating around the bush when it comes to the Steakhouse Sirloin Burger: I am shocked by how much I liked this cheeseburger. From McDonald’s. Wait, did I really just say that?

Yes, I did, and I don’t say this lightly. I’ve spent the better half of the last decade building burger connoisseur status amidst friends and family. In other words, I know that by admitting I not only tolerated, but enjoyed, a McDonald’s burger, I risk bringing my credibility down to a notch just above Tom Brady.

But like George Washington, I cannot tell a lie. So let me try to break this down. For starters, the sirloin burgers live up to the hype when it comes to size. Heck, I even received mine in one of those big brown bags and not the dopy white ones they use for Dollar Menu items. The five minute ride home from McDonald’s was unbearable; seriously, the aroma of the burger alone conjured primordial petroglyphs of scantly clad stick figures throwing spears at wild cattle. The carnivore in me knew something good was coming.

Dare I say it, the meat was juicy. Yes, juicy. I know because I squeezed the patty and juice ran out of it (and no, it wasn’t water.) The taste was beefy and meaty and cheesy and altogether very savory, with just the right sweet and sour relief from those incredible grilled onions to make each bite satisfying and complete. The surface of the patty wasn’t flabby and broken up by “tenderization” marks as I remember from the Angus burgers, and while the grind was very tightly packed, there was enough surface browning to lend a slightly sweet and complex flavor to the beef.

Every other component came together nicely. The two slices of cheese were positioned and melted for optimal gooeyness, but unlike the standard American cheese salt-bomb one expects (and sorta likes) from a fast food burger, there was a mellow but savory flavor from the cheese. Don’t get me wrong, this burger is still salty, but unless you’re oversensitive to those kinds of things I don’t think you’ll walk away from it with that sentiment.

Instead you’ll be trying to pin down the je ne sais quoi of whatever is in the creamy peppercorn sauce. Like an exceptionally thick steak sauce with a little black pepper kick and a fruity tang, it might just be my favorite sauce at McDoanld’s. No, really, as in, “Can I get this to dip McNuggets?”

Oh yes, and the mushrooms.

I’ve deliberately withheld comment on them to this point, but I have to say, they are not bad at all. Slightly overkill and a bit messy? Well yes, but I’m not exactly a sauteed mushroom on burger guy, but in this case they add just another level of umami flavor and help round out the toppings.

I’ve been hard on anything over a buck at McDonald’s in the past, but this is without a doubt a real step in the right direction and the best burger from the Golden Arches since, for me anyways, ever.

At $4.99 for the Steakhouse version it’s also an exceptional value for its hefty size. I’m not saying its going to surpass your favorite fast casual burger, but when it comes to the similarly sized fast food burgers, the new Sirloin Steakhouse Burger proves McDonald’s can still craft a very good and meaty cheeseburger at a price which isn’t going to break the bank.

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I’m not a mushroom fan, but I’ve tried the one with bacon and wasn’t that impressed from what I remember. Ordinary bun. Good amount of beef but I don’t recall noticing any maillard effect (i.e. no delicious “crust”) and not even a hint of pink was visible on the inside (just like yours). Didn’t notice it as being very juicy, in fact I recall mine being on the dry side. Agree that it wasn’t too salty, I actually added a little S&P to it. Good overall by McD’s standards but not $5 good in my opinion. Maybe I’ll give it another shot and update.

After all these years McDonalds finally realize that silion is a good cut of meat and it would be excellent for a burger if it’s not juicy blame the cook mine was tasty juicy and good Now I know they work on VOLUM And $ 500 is to high for a third of a pound of beef $ 425 would be enough for that burger But I can’t believe it took you all these year to start grinding up sirloin

I had that burger for the first time…. And damn!! That burger surprised me.. It was juicy and the sauce (gravy) was really good… And I’m glad they didn’t mess it up by potting lettuce and tomatoes on it..

Absolutely loved this review and excellent photos! I would love to see these burgers arrive in the UK at some point. However, I can’t imagine McDonald’s UK ever doing a burger with mushrooms on as they have stated (off record) that it is the one ingredient that always fails at the testing/tasting stage. Which is a pity for mushroom lovers.

At 61 years old I haven’t been to McDonald’s in quite a while. I saw the steakhouse burger advertised on TV last night and thought I’d give it a try. This is a great burger! Very juicy extremely tasty very filling.

With this burger on the menu and Apple Pay, they may just lure me back in.

Agreed – I’d stopped eating at McDonald’s once I was out of my college years, but the lettuce and tomato version of the burger is flat out delicious. Like, I find myself wanting it on its own, irrespective of hunger, while usually with fast food (or even fast casual), I’m just eating it for fuel. I really hope they keep these around.

had this today, expecting it to be a clone of the angus version, which I was ambivalent about. But I think my eyes widened slightly on first bite when the juiciness of the beef hit me. Best tasting patty I’ve had from McDonald’s. The addition of the grilled onions and the different cheese were both huge improvements as well

Tried the new sirloin burger today. I am NOT a big fan of Mc’s….I prefer Wendys. However, I got the deluxe sirloin third pounder today~it was awesome! This was even after it had been sitting awhile and I warmed it up in micro! (i did toss the lettuce/tomato. looked sad anyway) It was juicy! So surprised. My hub got the steakhouse version and he also said it was top-notch! (he would eat ‘shrooms, grilled onions and cheese on a flip/flop so prob not a big deal). I highly recommend!

First time having the new sirloin burger advertised with bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle, cheese with whatever sauce that was to come on the sandwich. What I received looked nothing like the advertised sandwich. It was jumbled and unappetizing. The meat was dry, overdone, barely warm and obviously had been in a holding bin. Nothing fresh cooked about this burger. There was no lettuce nor tomato. It had the standard McDonald’s catsup and mustard. They did not even bother to apply a more appealing sauce. As with other attempts by McDonald’s to create a premium burger this new sirloin burger is a total failure. Another example that McDonald’s is incapable of serving a quality burger. What I received was a hastily made assembly line product. A manufactured product not a fresh made sandwich.

Pretty good for a McDonald burger. They need a more organic season on the meat. The only thing I disagree with you on is the salt. There is no point using premium grade meat if you are going bury the flavor in salt. It did seem to me that the texture was burger rather than some burger and the pink stuff. That is a step in the right direction.

Well to be honest I have had this a few times when I am craving protein and in a hurry. If I’ve been good I eat the bun BUT; I order it with the artisan bun and I get just the meat and yellow American cheese, or no cheese depending on where I am for calorie and protein counts for the day. I also order it without the seasoning that seems so overwhelming on this menu item. In fact the seasoning makes me think of msg. I have asked bout the seasoning and have been told it’s juts their general seasoning, umm I think not. For me the flavor is better without the seasoning or all the other things they put on it. Such a shame to cover up angus steak that way.

Finally bit the bullet and had one of these today. One of the most delicious things I’ve ever had from any fast food restaurant; it almost doesn’t seem like fast food. Got the “steakhouse” one with the mushrooms and white cheddar. Not sure what went wrong with the dry ones mentioned above, but mine was cooked perfectly and was decently juicy. I was expecting to regret the five bucks and change; actually thought afterward that it was worth it.

My experience was completely different. dense, tough and tasteless. It didn’t appear to be ground beef so much as a puck made out of some meat like sludge that had solidified. And it appeared to have a fake “texture” molded into it to make it appear more burger like. Truly one of the worst things I’ve ever had from McDonald’s, (and that’s saying something). I’ll stick to paying a couple of dollars more and getting real ground beef patties that have never been frozen.

I never write comments or post reviews. I tend to like most things I eat, but The Sirloin Steakhouse burger inspires me to post my first review. It was the most revolting thing I’ve ever eaten. I don’t think it’s all beef in there, there is some mysterious meat/flavoring/enhancer/ something foul ground in. The burger is super dry but the juice comes from the aged mushrooms. You know how old mushroom sweat liquid when cooked? I’ve gargled and brushed my teeth twice, and still can’t get remove the offensive taste. Save $5, and avoid at all costs.